Skip to main content

6 Best Places to Eat Chinese Dry Pot in the U.S.

You’re probably familiar with Chinese hot pot. For those who need a refresher, hot pot is a simmering pot of stock placed directly on the dining table that’s used to cook meat, fish, and veggies. It’s typically spicy and delicious, and makes you work for your food a little harder than usual. But lately, we’ve been preoccupied with a dish that’s similar in flavor but different in structure: dry pot.

Dry pot is exactly what it sounds like. It uses similar Chinese flavors and ingredients that you’d find in hot pot, but it’s cooked dry with spices rather than in a broth. It’s a more modern dish, created in southern China in the 1970s to introduce a quicker way to dine. Our first dry pot experience was at Málà Project, a new-school Chinese restaurant in New York City’s East Village neighborhood that offers authentic delicacies and preparations.

Recommended Videos
mala-project-hot-pot
Image courtesy of Málà Project
Image courtesy of Málà Project

Whether you’re a big meat eater or a vegetarian, Málà Project caters to all appetites and dietary restrictions with a long list of ingredients to customize your own dry pot. We piled ours high with things like duck tongue, mushrooms, rice cakes, and roe-filled fish balls, then devoured the entire dish, slowly but surely (the spice makes you eat at a leisurely pace, which is always better for digestion anyway). People love Málà Project so much, the restaurant just opened another New York location near Bryant Park.

Because we can’t stop thinking about that dry pot meal, we decided to explore Chinese restaurants across the country that specialize in the dish so you can get your fix too. Check out these six best restaurants to get your spice on.

Good Harvest (Multiple Locations)

This beloved chain first opened in 2006 and now has 50 locations in China and three in the United States: two in New York City and one in Cary, North Carolina. Good Harvest serves traditional hot pot and crispy charpati, which are flatbreads stuffed with goodies like green onions, eggs, even durian. But the main attraction is their selection of dry fish pots, which are available in a variety of spice levels, pepper flavors, and proteins.

Sizzling Gourmet (Cupertino, California)

The menu at Sizzling Gourmet lets you choose your own adventure when building your dry pot, and the friendly staff is on hand to help with protein and veggie combos, sauces, and spice level. You can pick standards like chicken or squid, or get funky with delicacies like frog and beef tongue. The long list of sides you can add to your dish makes for endless combos —and irresistible leftovers.

Sichuan River (Austin, Texas)

Fans of Sichuan food will be happy to know that the menu at Sichuan River contains very few Americanized dishes (but the few that they do have will satisfy any picky Chinese food newbie). This eatery has a large menu with specialties like chicken feet with pickled peppers and egg foo young, along with a section for dry pot. The selection here is small but mighty with straightforward preparations like lamb, chicken, and pork chops.

Happy Dining (Irvine, California)

Happy Dining opened almost three years ago in Irvine, California, and has been filling the Orange County dry pot void ever since. The Chinese restaurant offers one of the best deals on this list, as a small bowl goes for about $10 and serves one to two people. Think specialties like beef tripe, catfish, lamb, pigs feet, and crab doused in sizzling spice.

Peking Hot Pot (Columbus, Ohio)

Hui Li, owner of Peking Hot Pot, longed for the flavors of her native China, so she took matters into her own hands when she opened Peking Hot Pot two years ago. Like the name implies, you can get your hot pot fix if you want, but we suggest springing for the dry pot. Build your own with ingredients like enoki mushrooms, quail egg, and whole shrimp, or go for one of the signatures like spicy grilled tilapia.

Sze Chuan Cuisine (Chicago, Illinois)

Known for serving some of the spiciest Sichuan dishes in Chicago’s Chinatown, fans of tongue-numbing flavor flock to Sze Chuan Cuisine. Their dry pot selection in’t huge but includes delicious dishes like rabbit with green peppercorns and, for fans of offal, pork intestine. If you’re into a little pain, get an order of the insanely spicy mapo tofu for the table.

Amanda Gabriele
Amanda Gabriele is a food and travel writer at The Manual and the former senior editor at Supercall. She can’t live without…
The 6 Best Places to Buy Groceries Online in 2022
why you need to stock up on groceries today walmart prime day 2021 best grocery deliver services

Shopping for groceries online is becoming the new norm. More and more people are using grocery delivery services to grab their essentials, enjoying time spent away from lines and crowds, and safely social distancing themselves. If you've been to a grocery store, you know how packed it can get during holidays, in preparation for incoming storms, or during rush hour. It can be a huge headache, but you still have to eat.  Luckily, now there are many ways to order groceries online.

We're not talking about just bags of chips and boxes of mac and cheese — we're talking about fresh meats, produce, beer, eggs, cheese, bread, beer, butter, flour, beer, and all the other stuff you usually count on having in your kitchen. Here are the best grocery delivery services so you can get your grocery done quickly and in time to start a new recipe.

Read more
I learned the secrets of the Mai Tai at Hawaii’s most iconic beachfront bar
You can try three variations of a classic Mai Tai
Mai Tai Bar

The Mai Tai is one of the most popular Tiki drinks in the world, known for its sweet and slightly almond-flavored flavor. Until I visited the Royal Hawaiian, I had no idea just how much history lies behind this fruity cocktail. Initially created by "Trade Vic" Bergeron in 1944, the Mai Tai drink later made its way to Hawaii in 1953.

When Bergeron was hired to develop menus for the Royal Hawaiian, he introduced the classic Mai Tai recipe to Hawaii's most iconic beachfront bar, now known as the Mai Tai Bar. During my visit to the Royal Hawaiian, I stopped by the Mai Tai Bar for a special look at how the bartending team makes three of the most popular Mai Tai variations available on their menu today. You can't go wrong with any of these three drinks -- whether you prefer something more subdued or something fruity and sweet.

Read more
Luckin Coffee opens in NYC, bringing its Starbucks rivalry to the U.S.
The first two U.S. locations of this Asia-based coffee chain are now open
Luckin Coffee

Starbucks appears to have a new rival in town in the U.S. market. The first two US locations of China's fastest-growing coffee chain, Luckin Coffee, are now open in NYC. Luckin' Coffee opened two NYC locations yesterday: Greenwich Village near the NYU campus and NoMad. Founded in 2017, Luckin' Coffee has taken off across China, catering to younger guests in China, Singapore, and Malaysia. The chain has over 24,000 locations across Asia but has entered the U.S. market. The chain is known for its simplified menu and "bare-bones" stores, which accept only cashless payments and mobile orders.
For the launch of the first two U.S. locations, Luckin announced steep promotions such as $1.99 drink deals and 50% off beverages for the grand opening, as well as free tote bags for the first guests to enter the store. The menu at this Asia-based coffee shop offers everything U.S. coffee and tea drinkers are used to, from cold brew coffees to matcha drinks to flavored lattes. The menu also includes a small selection of light bites and pastries. Per the brand's website, Luckin Coffee uses only the finest Arabica coffee beans that are sourced directly from renowned coffee-producing regions. Other menu specialty coffees include the Apple Fizzy Americano and Pomelo Americano.
Though Luckin may only have two U.S. locations at the moment, rumours suggest the brand plans to expand quickly in the U.S. market. With low prices and an app-based model, the chain can keep prices low and could soon become a strong competitor for Starbucks.

Read more